Death of Calgary man tragic loss to racing community
Posted Aug 26, 2013 7:50 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Friends and family from within the motorcycle racing community are mourning the loss of one of their own.
John Ross MacRae, 24, died Sunday after taking a spill during the qualifying run of the Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship the day before.
It happened at Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant.
He was transported to hospital in nearby Montréal where he later succumbed to his injuries.
MacRae had become a regular competitor in the National Series in 2011, when he joined the Ruthless Racing team in the XR1200 cup class.
The Calgary racer had claimed his first national event win in the class only two weeks ago in Bowmanville, Ontario.
He had finished on the podium in every event and ended the season second in the final class point standings.
“John Ross MacRae was one of the bright young stars in our sport, and his loss is a great tragedy for Canadian racing,” says series director Colin Fraser in a statement. “He was very popular with his fellow competitors and was greatly respected.”
MacRae grew up around motorcycles and according to his professional Facebook page, had been riding since he was two-years-old.
He graduated from SAIT’s automotive marketing program and worked hand-in-hand at Blackfoot Motorsports with his father Douglas, its President.
Ruthless Racing owner Darren James admitted on the team’s social media page that he was lost without his “little brother.”
“The last eight years of having you a part of my life was amazing, JR you are an amazing human being,” he writes. “The last words JR said to me in the trailer before qualifying – ‘Dude, when we walk out the door, check the horizon, blue bird day, beautiful mountains, and remember what we get to do and have fun.'”
James tells The Calgary Herald he stayed in the race to try to win one for John Ross and took second place.
Expressions of sadness and condolences have already started to flood both MacRae’s Facebook page as well as his Twitter account.
It’s expected a memorial service will be held in Calgary.
“The MacRaes have already received hundreds of texts and phone calls,” adds his father, who expects a large crowd will pay their respects.
